Pure as Water
by Alantie Mistaniu
Summary: A nighttime moment in the ocean with Aerith, Cloud, and a dolphin.


A/N: Trying to write something fluffy, instead of angsty. Done for the CxA forums 100 Challenge for the theme Water. I hope you will enjoy it :D

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Pure As Water

"What are you doing?"

Eyes greener than a field in springtime found him, peeking between strands of dark chocolate hair. "Shh," she whispered, a finger moving to her lips. "Don't scare it."

Startled, Cloud remained motionless, his blue eyes widened with wonder. He managed a slight nod to affirm he had heard her. Aerith's eyes sparkled at him mischievously before they returned to the object of her attention.

She stood waist deep in the still water, hair loose around her slender frame, her hands lightly hovering above the surface. Just feet away from her, a shiny gray creature breaks the surface, a shiny black eye watching her carefully. A smile tugged at her lips and she makes soothing sounds under her breath, a wordless haunting lullaby that enchants the watching man as much as it does the porpoise.

The dolphin glided slowly nearer, still cautious, but somehow it seemed to sense that this young woman was no threat to its safety. Cloud watched as a slim, pale fingered hand edged nearer to the blunt snout, before stopping mere inches away. His body went ridged as girl and dolphin stared at each other, his hand straying to the hilt of his sword. Did dolphins eat humans? He wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to take any chances with Aerith's safety. Yet his fears were proved baseless as the creature bumped its nose against her hand, chirping in a friendly fashion.

Laughing delightedly, she ran her hands gently over the strange rubbery skin, emerald eyes aglow. "You're a sweetheart, aren't you?" she whispered happily as the dolphin rolled over to expose its belly for her attention.

"Are you sure that's ok?" Cloud asked nervously, stepping nearer to the water's edge.

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Sometimes you are such a worrywart," she teased. "Pamela has spent years with this dolphin and nothing has happened to her, has it?"

"Well, no. . ." he began uncertainly.

"It's alright," she assured him, then dropped her voice spookily. "What? Don't you trust my 'mystical' Cetra powers?"

His mako blue eyes widened. "Are you using them?"

Laughing, Aerith shrugged. "Maybe. If I am, I don't know about it." Her eyes grew soft, her hand lifting and beckoning to him. "Come to me?"

Something jerked in his chest, his breath catching as desire warred with his natural shyness. "I don't know. . ." Glancing at the dolphin, he grasped for some excuse. "I'll probably scare it."

Amusement was clear in her tone as she answered. "Then I'll just have to lure it back, won't I?"

"It's cold. . ."

"I thought SOLDIERS were supposed to be tough?"

Cloud resisted the urge to sigh, but sat down, stripping off his boots and socks and stacking them neatly beside the flower girl's. Slowly and carefully, he rolled up his pant legs before rising once more, wincing at the strange feel of the gritty sand beneath his feet. Even more slowly, he edged closer to where the water lapped against the shore, tentatively stepping into its path.

The shock of the cold made him gasp, and Aerith's giggles rang in his ears. He jerked his head up, glaring at her, and she gave him an apologetic smile as she stifled them.

"How can you stand this cold?" he demanded, resisting the urge to flee back to land as he moved a few steps deeper.

Her shoulders lifted slightly in a shrug, one hand patting the dolphin, the other still patiently outstretched to him. "I was born in a place that becomes much colder. I guess you can say it's in my blood."

Cloud too had grown up in a climate that saw winter time, but he wasn't immune to such a numbing cold. Slowly though his body was adjusting to the temperature and he moved cautiously nearer, his hand lifting to take Aerith's.

"There, I knew you could do it," she told him merrily, her face shining with a radiance that had nothing to do with the quarter moon above them in the sky. "And look! You didn't even scare him!"

Mako eyes met onyx black and he stared curiously at the porpoise. "How do you know it's a male?"

"Well, I don't think I could have charmed a female creature over so easily. Hmm?" Her eyes peeked at him, glittering impishly, and he felt his face flush. Aerith grinned and still holding his hand, turned to the dolphin. "Want to pet him?"

"Well I. . ." he started to stammer, but the young woman took it out of his hands. She moved her fingers to his wrist, leaning over and forcing him to do the same. "Aerith-!"

Her eyes flashed to him. "Trust me."

Speechless, Cloud could only nod, allowing her to guide his hand to where the dolphin watched, holding completely still. His fingers were trembling, more out of anticipation than fear. He had never been this close to any wild animal before, and he feared frightening the poor creature away. Smooth, rubbery skin met his fingertips and his breath caught in his throat as he gingerly touched the dolphin's head. For a moment the animal held still, then it gave one of its odd chirps, nudging his hand with its nose.

Wonder flooded him, and he heard Aerith's voice speaking softly in his ear. "See?"

A rare grin crossed his features and he turned his gaze on to her. She was smiling peacefully, a gentle, content happiness glowing in her eyes as her own hand smoothed over the creature's head.

Suddenly the dolphin slipped below the surface. Confused, Cloud blinked, scanning the dark water for it. "Where did it go?" he inquired, bewildered.

Brow furrowed in a slight frown, Aerith shook her head. "I don't know," she began, when a sudden spray of water hit them both.

Cloud gasped, swearing and spluttering at the icy cold, hearing a squeal from Aerith. Blinking the water from his eyes, he saw her brushing her wet mahogany hair back from her face, laughing as she scolded the porpoise that had resurfaced.

"That wasn't very nice! We don't all have your blubber, you know!"

The dolphin merely made another of its strange sounds, and Cloud could have sworn the creature was laughing at them. Once more it ducked under the surface, then its tail popped back up.

"Oh no," Cloud muttered. "Aerith-"

He never got to finish as the dolphin began smacking its tail against the water, sending wave after bone-chilling wave flowing over them. With a curse, Cloud backtracked, trying to get out of the playful animal's rage, his eyes darting around for the woman. She was blindly moving away, trying to sweep her long hair out of her eyes when she tripped and staggered, falling forward.

Moving before he even realized it, Cloud reached out for her, managing to catch her and pulling her up against his chest to steady her. She coughed and sputtered, clutching at his sopping shirt front gratefully, her head momentarily resting against his shoulder. His cheeks hot again, he glanced over her head to see the dolphin staring at them, giving its chirpy laughter again before bounding away through the waves.

'Sneaky creature," Cloud thought, with a scowl, his hands curling around Aerith's slim upper arms, feeling the goose bumps on her flesh. "You're freezing," he sighed, rubbing her arms to try and get some friction to give her warmth. "Stupid dolphin."

"I'll be okay," she assured him, lifting her head to beam at him reassuringly. "It was just playing, Cloud."

Pulling a face, he shook his head and released her from his embrace, taking her hand and tugging her towards the shore. When she resisted, he glanced at her, confused. "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing," she murmured, her eyes lingering on the shimmering water under the night sky. "Don't you ever feel drawn to the water? Don't you ever wish you could dive down into it, become part of it?"

He blinked, his head tipping to the side. "I've never thought about it before," he confessed.

Her lips twitched slightly. "I think it would be nice, to just lay down and let the water carry me away," she mussed softly. "To just drift someplace far away."

"Where?" Cloud asked softly.

She didn't answer for a moment, her green gaze taking on a sort of wistful glint. "Oh, I don't know," she said lightly. "Some place peaceful, I suppose. Who knows? Maybe the way to the Promised Land lies on a path of water."

A shiver went down his spine and for some reason he found himself gripping her hand tighter, though his voice was dry when he spoke. "Don't go drifting off on me now," he told her. "We still have work to do."

Tittering, Aerith turned her attention back to him. "So serious," she teased, then pulled her hand free, running through the waves towards the shore. "C'mon! Let's go ask Tifa for some of her hot chocolate!" She twirled to face him again, and for what felt like the thousandth time that evening, he felt his breath catch in his throat, unable to tear his gaze away from her. Her hair was flying freely and dancing through the air, her spirit as pure as water and as playful as the wind.


End file.
